Electronic devices continue to become more prevalent in day-to-day activities. For example, smart phones, tablet computers and electronic devices continue to grow in popularity, and provide everyday personal and business functions to its users. These electronic devices may include screens or displays utilized by the user to interact (e.g., through input/output operations) with the electronic devices and/or receive information therefrom.
Conventionally, these screens or displays are made from reinforced or modified glass. However, these glass screens may still be susceptible to damage. Specifically, these conventional screens may scratch, chip or crack when an undesirable impact event or force (e.g., drop, crushed) occurs with the electronic device. Damage to the screens of the electronic device may render the device partially or completely inoperable and/or may prevent the user from utilizing the electronic device for its intended purposes.
The use of the crystalline form of alumina (Al2O3) (e.g., corundum), commonly known as sapphire, is becoming a viable option for replacing the glass screen or display. Specifically, with improved manufacturing processes of single crystal sapphire, and the improved functional characteristics (such as hardness and strength) of sapphire over glass, sapphire may be an acceptable replacement material for conventional glass screens and displays. However, the same chemical/elemental characteristics that make sapphire an often-superior material choice over glass may also make the manufacturing of sapphire difficult. That is, due to sapphire's hardness, processing or shaping sapphire may be difficult. For example, where the sapphire display includes curved or non-planar surfaces, conventional polishing techniques and processes may fall short of providing an adequate or desired polish on the curved or non-planar surfaces of the sapphire.
Thus, an improved process for forming and/or polishing a sapphire component including curved or non-planar surfaces may be useful.